simon
Full Member
Posts: 16
|
Post by simon on Feb 18, 2010 12:19:03 GMT -5
Hi,
Apologies if this appears elsewhere in the forum but have not seen it.
In the film “Thirteen Days to Glory”, at one point one of Santa Anna’s officers plays up and Santa Anna says something along the lines of “what do you know you’re English” (or words to that effect)
Mrs Dickinson (in one version) says that she was saved by an English ‘mercenary’ named ‘Black’ (or possibly it was Almonte and not an Englishman)
What is the historical precedent for the English officer written in to the film (apart from us making good ‘baddies’ in Hollywood films)?
Does anyone know of any Englishman who fought for the Mexicans or who 'Black' may have been?
Cheers
Simon
|
|
|
|
Post by cantador4u on Feb 19, 2010 14:02:16 GMT -5
I recall reading that there was an English officer in the Mexican Army at San Antonio (what rank??) and he may have encountered the Gonzalez 32 as they were arriving. As my memory serves me he asked if they wanted a guide to the Alamo, and it drew a response "I think it's time we shoot him." or some such thing. He quickly disappeared.
- Paul Meske
|
|
|
|
Post by Herb on Feb 19, 2010 15:40:07 GMT -5
I'm the wrong person to comment on this, I think Stuart may have the better answer, but it seems almost certain that it was Almonte that intervened and saved Dickinson, and that an error was made in transcribing one of her accounts and an "English speaking officer" became an "English officer".
There were quite a few "foreign" officers serving Mexico in both the army and navy. I know several British officers served in the Mexican Navy, and while I can't think of any by name, I would almost be surprised if there weren't a few in the army.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kevin Young on Feb 19, 2010 16:00:04 GMT -5
I have gone over many lists of Mexican officers done during this period, and I can't remember seeing any English officers. Of course, there is Juan Davis Bradburn, who is an American, and he had been involved in the Mexican military since the Wars for Independence. Many of the other "foreign" officers had long service records dating back to that time.
The movie version of 13 Days to Glory based that English officer character off that Dickinson account, which I also believe was transcribed wrong.
Of course, there is the whole deal about the memorial stone to an East India Company officer named Edwards that says he was killed in San Antonio 3/6/1836.
|
|
|
|
Post by stuart on Feb 21, 2010 5:39:56 GMT -5
I'm not aware of any British officers serving with the Mexican army at this time, but what is interesting is the ready acceptance that there were and indeed the way this story makes a point of identifying their presence.
(The guy in the reinforcement story is suggested by Sutherland to have been Woll although he wasn't up with the army at the time so his identity - if he existed - is a mystery)
The Dickinson story, and even Sutherland's mysterious stranger, certainly doesn't equate to evidence that there was an Englishman (or Scot) with Santa Anna - I agree that Almonte is the most likely deliverer of Mrs Dickinson - but rather reflect a widespread assumption that the British were in some way involved.
I still don't know to what degree Grant himself was suspected, but as you'll know from my book there was certainly an awareness of British interference; starting with Wavell and Grant's promises of British support for the Fredonian rebellion, Houston's warning of British interest back in 1833(?); Mexia's claim that Crawford had helped scupper the Tampico business, and the arrest of the New York volunteers in Bermuda.
So when Mrs Dickinson says (and of course we don't know exactly what she said) she was rescued by this English speaking guy it doesn't take much of a leap to make him an Englishman - and publish it abroad as yet one more evidence that Britain was involved.
|
|
